In a scribe line of a semiconductor wafer, there are disposed pads (contact pads) for process monitoring. Thus, when a semiconductor wafer is diced along a scribe line, there can be a case in which burr is formed as a result of breaking of the pads. In order to reduce the occurrence of such burrs, there is proposed a structure in which via-plugs interconnecting an upper pad and a lower pad are formed such that only one via-plug is located at each of the four corners of each pad. Further, there is proposed a structure that includes at least three wiring layers wherein the pads are formed by two of the wiring layers except for the lowermost wiring layer.
Further, in order to extend the lifetime of the dicing blade, there is proposed a structure in which only the pad of the uppermost wiring layer is formed over the entire area used for the electrode formation while the pads other than those formed in the uppermost wiring layer are formed only at four corners of the area used for the electrode formation.